Poorest forced to steal to survive

THE most vulnerable in society are being forced to steal to survive, Oldham MP Michael Meacher has warned.

The Oldham West and Royton MP said government policy was one rule for the rich and one for the poor.

He said MPs or former MPs who made a fool of themselves filled the news agenda but the million non-famous people who have had their benefits stopped were forgotten.

The Labour veteran added: “What really matters about members of the government is not their silly misbehaviour, it’s the way they are crucifying millions of people even to the point where they are denying them food and shelter.

“A million people have been sanctioned by government ministers over this last year, which means that they are deprived of all their benefit for often petty infringements and hence have no money for at least four weeks and sometimes three months, forcing them to steal to survive.”

Mr Meacher said while the most vulnerable in society were being punished, MPs who fiddled expenses five years ago were just named and shamed in the papers, with no more than a dozen sent to prison for a few weeks.

Mr Meacher concluded: “We are now seeing one law for the rich and another for the poor in its most vicious and nasty form.”